How it all started
April 22 2015

I never ever thought I would be selling anything. As a Molecular Biologist and Yoga teacher, having a shop was not in my universe of possibilities. But when you let life surprise you, unexpected things happen...

It all started when I went to Boston in December 2011 for a meditation retreat. I noticed that Paige, one of the participants, was wearing really nice dark red corduroy pants. I always loved this velvety fabric but never really found pants for me. Next thing I know, she is sitting to meditate wearing them! I had to ask how she manages. I have to change from my jeans into Yoga pants every time I go for a session, and I am not one that feels comfortable wearing Yoga pants on the street…

The answer was: this ARE Yoga pants that you can wear all the time! Of course I also wanted them! But then came my disappointment: she got them in California. I searched the internet, but no way, they were not available in Boston… I must have looked so desperate that next day Fella, another participant and lover of this pants brought me one of hers as a gift, in the most beautiful purple! I can't tell you how nice they were to wear on the long overnight flight back home…

A couple of months later, in March 2012, I went to another meditation retreat in Belgium, happy to have my Goddesswear purple pants. And to my surprise there was Anne, another participant in her 60s, wearing them too! She told me that to secure her supply she had decided to sell them herself at her retreat center in Denmark, and added with a smile: you should do the same!

It took me a year to finally say… why not?! In the meantime I had asked Paige to buy me another pair for our next retreat in Boston, and I kept thinking about friends that would for sure love them too… Finally I thought… well, at least I can make one order, supply myself and some friends with new beautiful colors, and see what happens.

After placing my order I realized that I was having a shop! This gave me the freedom to think about other things that I wanted to share, and immediately a couple of things came rushing to my mind. Four or five years before I had gotten a reusable bamboo cutlery set from To-Go Ware as a gift from Yoga teacher Twee Merrigan. Since then it has always been in my bag and I have used it uncountable times in the city avoiding the use of plastic, for picnics, ice creams, camping... They feel so nice in your mouth! Many times I searched for something similar around here to give to my friends, but never found it. So, with the élan of my first order I added the second item to my shop!

Well, I had a bunch of pants and lots of bamboo utensils, but not really a shop.

I started distributing gifts to my friends, and on the side my mind was busy thinking about a name for the shop, designing a logo, dreaming with projects, and trying to find out how to set up the prices. I created a Facebook page, and for the next Yoga retreat my husband Adrian and I offered, I made a cute cosy corner with the products of my new shop.

From then on, La Luna Lädeli has been a word of mouth affair. People get to know the products at our Yoga retreats, and then it's their friends and the friends of their friends who contact me. On occasions people have asked me where did I get those super comfy pants or the beautiful scarf. It's funny to answer that I sell them myself... And then people simply come to my place in Zurich to try things out.

I realized that an online shop would serve many people that already know the products, especially the pants, as once you have one pair you become addicted and new colors keep coming all the time.

However I still like to share face to face my passion and reasons for offering what I offer. Since having a "real" shop is not an option due to high prices and little time (I still do research, teach yoga, and have a family that includes an energetic boy), I plan to organize more or less regular gatherings where you can get to know the products, try them out, learn more about them and have a nice cup of Chai.

The first one I did on December 2014 was a great success. Adrian had a fire outside with marroni and Chai, and in the middle of the afternoon we chanted some mantras with the Shakti Shuttlez, the kirtan band from Adrian and other friends (two of which are posing in the pictures of the pants!). If you want to be informed about this gatherings and about new products coming up, check up regularly the Events section of the News, follow La Luna Lädeli on Facebook or subscribe to the Newsletter. I will be happy to show you all my treasures!